Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
17 results
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems in Japan: investigating selected agricultural practices and values for farmers
2024Nath T.K., Inoue M., Yim E.W., Takahashi S. · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Japan
Using empirical data from two Japanese GIAHS sites, documents features of traditional agricultural practices and their values, including conservation of local crop varieties and revitalization of discontinued farming for rural livelihoods.
Heirloom & landracePolicyBiodiversityCommunityIntroduction to heirloom vegetables in Kyoto prefecture (Kyo-yasai), Japan
2024Mimura Y. · Journal of Ethnic Foods 11: Article 26 · Japan
Reviews the history, preservation, branding, and scientific research on Kyoto's heirloom vegetables (Kyo-yasai), highlighting how farmers, researchers, and municipalities sustain traditional landrace cultivation amid urbanization pressures.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunityPolicyElucidation of genetic variation and population structure of melon genetic resources in the NARO Genebank, and construction of the World Melon Core Collection
2023Shigita Gentaro, Tran Phuong Dung, Pervin Mst. Naznin, Duong Thanh-Thuy, Imoh Odirich Nnennaya, Monden Yuki, Nishida Hidetaka, Tanaka Katsunori, Sugiyama Mitsuhiro, Kawazu Yoichi, Tomooka Norihiko, Kato Kenji · Breeding Science, 73(3): 263-275 · Japan
Genotyping-by-sequencing of 755 melon accessions in the NARO Genebank identified ~39,000 SNPs to clarify genetic relationships and population structure and to construct a World Melon Core Collection, supporting conservation and use of genetic resources.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityPolicy秋田県における在来ナス品種の遺伝的類縁関係および導入経路
2021中川 睦司, 高橋 秀和, 上田 健治, 渡辺 明夫, 赤木 宏守, 櫻井 健二 · 園芸学研究（Hort. Res. (Japan)）, 20(4): 379-385 · Japan
Using SSR markers on four Akita native eggplant varieties and 46 domestic landraces, phylogenetic and population structure analyses inferred the genetic relationships and likely introduction routes of traditional Akita eggplant cultivars.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunityAssessment of Genetic Diversity Based on Phenotypic Traits and Microsatellite Markers in Brassica napus L. Landrace in the Kanto Region, Japan (Norabona)
2020Tsuge Kazuki, Chen Ruikun, Yoshioka Yosuke, Motoki Satoru · The Horticulture Journal, 89(1): 12-21 · Japan
Using phenotypic traits and 24 SSR markers, this study assessed the genetic and phenotypic diversity of 'norabona', a traditional Brassica napus leaf-and-stem vegetable of the Kanto region, documenting diversity within this Japanese landrace.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityCommunityGenome sequence and analysis of a Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus) cultivar named 'Sakurajima Daikon' possessing giant root
2020Shirasawa Kenta, Hirakawa Hideki, Fukino Nobuko, Kitashiba Hiroyasu, Isobe Sachiko · DNA Research, 27(2): dsaa010 · Japan
The genome of 'Sakurajima Daikon', a giant-rooted traditional Japanese radish from Kagoshima, was sequenced and analyzed using long reads, providing a genomic foundation for trait studies and conservation of this landrace.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityConstruction of a core collection of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) based on genome-wide SNP and SSR genotypes
2019Miyatake Koji, Shinmura Yoichi, Matsunaga Hiroshi, Fukuoka Hiroyuki, Saito Takeo · Breeding Science, 69(3): 498-502 · Japan
Analyzing 893 eggplant accessions in the NARO Genebank with genome-wide SNPs and SSRs, the authors built a core collection; Asian accessions formed the center of diversity, supporting efficient conservation and use of genetic resources.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityPolicyTradition and Japanese vegetables: history, locality, geography, and discursive ambiguity
2017Uchiyama Y., Fujihira Y., Matsuoka H., Kohsaka R. · Journal of Ethnic Foods · Japan
Analyzes definitions, history, and regional ties of traditional Japanese vegetables (e.g., Kyo, Kaga), using Kaga and Noto cases to show how ambiguous quality standards shape branding and brand management.
Heirloom & landraceEconomicsFood educationPolicyPublic recognition of traditional vegetables at the municipal level: Implications for transgenerational knowledge transmission
2017Uchiyama Y., Matsuoka H., Kohsaka R. · Journal of Ethnic Foods · Japan
Questionnaire survey in Komatsu City, Ishikawa, on public recognition of Kaga and Noto traditional vegetables, showing gender/age differences in awareness and information sources, with implications for transgenerational transmission and branding.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityFood educationEconomicsEverything but the Taste: Kyoto's Shishigatani Squash as Culinary Heritage
2017de St. Maurice G. · Food, Culture & Society 20(2) · Japan
Examines how Kyoto's Shishigatani heirloom squash, though considered not delicious, persists as culinary heritage through cultural embeddedness, temple rituals, and distinctive form, showing heritage value beyond flavor.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityFood educationBiodiversityGenetic divergence of turnip (Brassica rapa L. em. Metzg. subsp. rapa) inferred from simple sequence repeats in chloroplast and nuclear genomes and morphology
2016Takahashi Yu, Yokoi Shuji, Takahata Yoshihito · Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 63(5): 869-879 · Japan
Analysis of 87 turnip accessions using chloroplast and nuclear SSRs and morphology revealed distinct haplogroups between eastern and western Eurasia, with continental Asian accessions (including Japan) showing the highest genetic diversity.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityNative fruit tree genetic resources in Japan
2016Iketani Hiroyuki · Breeding Science, 66(1): 82-89 · Japan
A review of Japan's native fruit tree genetic resources shaped by its diverse climate, summarizing the status of wild and local fruit taxa, red-listed species, and the state of conservation in genebanks and botanical gardens.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityPolicyEstimation of loss of genetic diversity in modern Japanese cultivars by comparison of diverse genetic resources in Asian pear (Pyrus spp.)
2016Nishio Sogo, Takada Norio, Saito Toshihiro, Yamamoto Toshiya, Iketani Hiroyuki · BMC Genetics, 17: 81 · Japan
Comparing wild, Chinese, local, and modern Japanese pear cultivars, the study found reduced heterozygosity and allelic richness in modern cultivars, which were genetically close to Kanto local cultivars and strongly biased toward 'Nijisseiki'.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversity在来品種の顕在化プロセスと展開課題
2015山口 創 · 食資源教育研究センター報告（CEIS Papers）, 29: 83-88 · Japan
Through interview surveys of three cases (Komoike-dainagon bean, Harima-o garlic, Himeji-ebiimo taro), this paper analyzes the process by which local varieties become recognized regional resources and the challenges of their development.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityEconomicsBiodiversity地域固有の食文化が観光の対象となるまでの形成過程に関する一考察：大和の伝統野菜を事例として
2011Katakami T. · 観光研究 (Journal of the Japan Institute of Tourism Research) · Japan
Using Yamato traditional vegetables, examines the process by which place-specific food culture becomes a tourism resource, stressing the role of key persons creatively managing how the culture is supplied to others.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityEconomicsFood educationMultiple origins and high genetic diversity of cultivated radish inferred from polymorphism in chloroplast simple sequence repeats
2009Yamane Kyoko, Lü Ning, Ohnishi Ohmi · Breeding Science, 59(1): 55-65 · Japan
Analyzing 25 chloroplast SSR loci across 59 cultivated radish accessions and 23 wild Raphanus accessions, the study found evidence for at least three independent domestication events and high genetic diversity in cultivated radish.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityGenetic diversity of the azuki bean (Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi) gene pool as assessed by SSR markers
2008Xu Hong-Xia, Jing Tao, Tomooka Norihiko, Kaga Akito, Isemura Takehisa, Vaughan Duncan A. · Genome, 51(9): 728-738 · Japan
Using 13 SSRs on 616 azuki accessions from eight Asian countries, the study found highly diverse Japanese wild germplasm, supporting Japan as a domestication center, while cultivated azuki from China, Korea, and Japan were genetically distinct.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversity